Running to Stand Still
by Running to Stand Still
Summary: A Songfic Oneshot. It's really quick. The song is Running to Stand Still. Of course, Max has to save the world. What's that going to take? Read it and enjoy! And review please


**(A/N: I'm really bored because I have a snow day today. But it's too dangerous to go out, so my friends and I aren't hanging out. Yeah, so I'm bored. I wrote this really quickly because… well, only because I'm bored. This is only an ONESHOT. So read, and enjoy!)**

**Disclaimer: I'm not the owner of Maximum Ride. And I don't own the song "Running to Stand Still" because U2 does. Ha, just kidding, I do own everything. I rule the world… and you. Mwhahaha!**

I woke up with a start, my heart in my throat; beads of sweat rolled down the side of my face. I was covered in a thin sheen a cold sweat. And there was an icy rain coming down on me; not drizzling, but pouring. None of us had even noticed it.

I don't like this feeling; like a brick was just dropped on your stomach. You've probably had that feeling before, right? It's when you are sound asleep, and suddenly something in your dreams scares you and you sit straight up from wherever you were sleeping in complete shock. Yeah, the feeling where you know you won't be going back to sleep anytime soon.

Now, seeing I said _dream_, you're probably wondering what it was. I mean, how many things can scare me, Maximum Ride? I'm fearless, right? Well no, I just appear it and hide my fears. And I don't always do well; this is one of those times. Thank God the others are sleeping right now and its pitch black tonight. No one is on watch because we sort of all passed out from exhaustion the minute that we landed.

Okay, the dream… ugh, I hate dreams, absolutely _hate_. They take away from sleep and… Alright, I won't rant. I'll get on about this dream I just had…

So I was sitting there, doing absolutely nothing. And suddenly, everything I ever had was gone, nothing remained. It all of a sudden disappeared without a trace. There wasn't even a poof or anything. I was sitting and it went away. Now, that may not seem too scary, but that's not all. _Everyone_ disappeared; the Flock was just gone. My whole world went away. But, not the dreaded Voice, that remained, much to my extreme joy. How do I know the Voice was still there? It told me.

_Maximum, if you don't act soon, this is what will happen. It will all go away. You'll be left with absolutely nothing, nothing at all. You need to do something soon._

**And so she woke up  
Woke up from where she was lyin' still  
Said I gotta do something  
about where we're goin'**

I stood up and grabbed my backpack, putting it on my shoulders. I took a running start and snapped out my wings, and began to fly. Where I was going, I didn't know. But the Voice had said that I needed to move. And right now, I didn't want to bother the Flock anymore. In fact, I was running from them. For so long I had dragged them around with me. This was the end to that. It had finally sunk in; I needed to do this on my own.

**Step on a fast train  
Step out of the driving rain; maybe  
run from the darkness in the night  
singing ah, ah, la, la, la de day  
Ah la, la, la de day**

This was horrible, and I couldn't believe I could do such a thing as leave them. But I didn't just leave them. I abandoned them without another word. And I knew they would try to follow. They might not be able to accept that I would just _leave_ without a word or a goodbye.

I quickly poured on the speed. If I kept going, by the time the Flock realized that I was _gone_; I would be too far away for them to _ever_ find me.

I was disgusted by myself; I sickened myself. How could I not even leave a note?! I just… left. I felt the tears but quickly convinced myself that I wasn't going away forever. One day I'd be back.

**Sweet the sin, bitter the taste in my mouth  
I see seven towers, but I only see one way out  
You gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking  
Scream without raising your voice  
You know I took the poison, from the poison stream  
Then I floated out of here, singing  
Ah la, la, la de day  
Ah la, la, la de day**

I walked through the rubble and smoke. In some places, that was all that remained now. In others, there wasn't much more than this. And in some places, nothing was changed. The streets were empty; everyone was still in hiding.

I stood still for a moment, hoping to bask in the warmth of the sunlight. But there was absolutely no sun, only a thick layer of blackish-green smoke above me where the sky should be. My wings weren't hidden, but I didn't care. No one was out here to see them.

My whole body ached, and I was pretty much sapped of all energy. I wanted to curl up and sleep for the first time in… two years. Sure, I slept, but how can you sleep when you're always watching your back and have nightmares each time you close your eyes? That was my exact dilemma for the past two years; the two years since I had seen the Flock last.

I was cold, and covered in blood; some of it was mine, most of it was other… creatures, for lack of a better term. I had killed, but they were unable to kill me. And I had saved the world. The Voice had disappeared as well.

But through all that, I smiled, because it was finally time to go home.

**She walks through the streets  
with her eyes painted red  
under black belly of cloud in the rain  
in through a doorway  
she brings me white golden pearls  
Stolen from the sea**

I stood at a doorway to a house that looked like an "E" that had been turned onto its side. A house that I had thought was gone a long time ago. But here it was, and coming from inside were the sounds of a TV and videogames. There was talking and yelling as well.

I raised my hand to knock on the door, but stopped, letting my hand stay in midair. A million and one thoughts rushed through my head. What was going to happen? What will they do to me?

The back of my neck prickled. I quickly spun around, on high alert.

"Will you _quit_ that?" I asked, fighting back a huge smile. Standing about twenty or so feet from the spot I was standing was Fang; his eyes were the only things that conveyed his shock.

"Quit what?" he asked calmly. "Breathing? And you usually hit the door with your hand, not just stand there with your hand in the air. Or maybe you are planning on running away from us like you did before." So he was a little bitter towards me, but I expected that.

"I saved the world Fang. I'm not leaving you guys ever again," I told him without looking up. I stared at my black combat boots; my dirty, worn out, black combat boots. "I don't think that I could ever live with myself if I left you guys again." Then Fang was there, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"We tried to follow you. I didn't want to give up, but we were sure that you had… died. A few weeks after you left, the Erasers disappeared and the School stopped trying to find us. We pretty much gave up hope on you, even though I didn't want to. Everyone was so tired and we needed a break," Fang explained.

**She is ragin'  
She is ragin'  
and the storm blows up in her eyes  
She will suffer the needle chill  
She's running to stand still**

"Fang, Fang, Angel says that she can read Max's thoughts! She's-" Nudge yelled as she ran out the front door. She stopped when she saw me. That was a first, Nudge shutting her trap without being told about it. "Guys, Angel's right!" Nudge suddenly jumped at me and Fang let me go. "Max, we thought you died. And I can't believe this! How can you be back? How did you know where to find us? We're hidden! Oh my God, did you save the world? Is that why you're so dirty? You look really different. I look different too, all of us do. And wow, look at that scar! _Guys, Max is back!_" Well, Nudge hadn't lost her gift.

I was practically mauled by Angel, Gazzy, and Total as they started to hug me and kiss me. And, at the same time, told me what was going on and a play-by-play of what the last two years entailed. Iggy stood near the door, listening. I reached out and touched his arm, he smiled.

"Max, are you gonna leave us again?" angel asked, her wide, blue eyes filled with tears.

"No I'm home now. I'm staying here… forever."

**(A/N 2: If you liked it, review. If you didn't like it, review and tell me why. All of you review!)**


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